How important is protein timing?
When we combine weight training with adequate protein intake, we have the ability to activate muscle protein synthesis. This is optimal for training adaptation as well as recovery. New studies suggest that we don’t need to be sipping on a protein shake the minute we finish our last rep or running stride. Yes, protein intake is important for muscle repair but think of it more as a several hour window than an “anabolic window” that is slowly closing as you get in your car to leave the gym. The easiest way to think about protein and recovery is to make sure you next major meal after a session focuses on recovery and getting enough protein in. Take away message- consistent and adequate protein consumption across the day has much more value than stressing over protein timing. If you’re consuming protein straight after a sessions, that’s great, it contributes to your overall intake for the day.
Isn’t too much protein bad for you?
What about the upper limit? Is there negative side effects? If you’re sitting below a tolerable limit of 3.5g/kg/day, there shouldn’t be any adverse effects. To put this into perspective, the same 70kg athlete would need to be consuming 245g of protein per day (instead of the (98-140g) over a long period of time to be seeing any adverse effects.
Let’s unpack a few discussion points here:
The myth that it does damage to our kidneys or liver.
Kidneys: For those who are healthy with a healthy functioning kidney, they do not need to worry about higher protein diets. For those who have kidney damage, there isn’t a clear association between a higher protein diet and damage. If you think you are having issues with your kidneys, it’s time to talk to your doctor.
Liver: Again, in healthy people with a relatively normal habitual consumption of protein, there is no harm. Some evidence suggests that after prolonged fasting period (>48hours), a high protein refeeding may cause acute damage to the liver. This is a pretty rare scenario so we can stress less about protein causing damage if we are healthy. If you choose to utilise fasting for that long, try not to consume protein ‘too much, too fast’ when coming back to feeding.
2. Higher protein diets can lead to lower bone mineral density or osteoporosis? The inaccurate theory is that with too many ‘acids’ (amino acids), it can absorb some of the calcium from our bones. This is not the case. On the contrary, sufficient protein intake can have positive effects on our bone health when coupled with healthy weight bearing activity.